Halloween History & Origin

Halloween is the one of the oldest holidays still celebrated today. It's
one of the most popular holidays, second only to Christmas. While millions
of people celebrate Halloween without knowing its origins and myths, the
history and facts of Halloween make the holiday more fascinating.

Some people view Halloween as a time for fun, putting on costumes,
trick-or-treating, and having theme parties. Others view it as a time of
superstitions, ghosts, goblins and evil spirits that should be avoided at
all costs.

As the Christian debate goes on, celebrating Halloween is a preference
that is not always viewed as participating in an evil holiday. Halloween is
often celebrated with no reference to pagan rituals or the occult.

Halloween History

Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was
originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. Halloween was referred to as
All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.

All Hallows Eve is the evening before All Saints Day, which was created
by Christians to convert pagans, and is celebrated on November 1st. The
Catholic church honored saints on this designated day.

Origin of Halloween

While there are many versions of the origins and old customs of
Halloween, some remain consistent by all accounts. Different cultures view
Halloween somewhat differently but traditional Halloween practices remain
the same.

Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in
Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain,
which was annually on October 31st to honor the dead.

Samhain signifies "summers end" or November. Samhain was a harvest
festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and
beginning of a new one. Many of the practices involved in this celebration
were fed on superstition.

The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages
at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and
treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next years crops would be
plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.